In the state of the art, various solutions are known for refilling and housing colour cartridges for ink jet printheads. In particular, European patent No. 605183 discloses a similar device for housing and refilling with different colour inks at least one colour cartridge for a ink jet printhead; the device comprises a container, inside which there is a seat, suitable for accommodating a refillable colour cartridge, inserted through a top aperture; the colour cartridge, as is known, is internally divided into three compartments, each containing a spongy body suitable for being impregnated with ink of a given colour. The container also comprises a second chamber, located under the seat of the cartridge, and separated from the latter by a horizontal wall; the second chamber is divided into three compartments, each of which suitable for containing a different colour ink with which to refill the cartridge placed in its seat. In correspondence with each compartment is a cylindrical capillary element, supported by the horizontal wall, which has a first end immersed in the ink inside the second chamber and a second end protruding into the seat of the cartridge and suitable for being inserted in the corresponding compartment of the cartridge, in contact with the spongy body for transferring through capillarity the colour ink from the second chamber to the cartridge.
This device has the drawback that when the container is turned over on a side or turned upside down, for instance during transport, the capillary element remains in contact with the ink and continues transferring the ink to the cartridge not only through capillarity but also on account of the head of ink above the capillary element, therefore causing an overfilling of the cartridge with, as a result, ink flowing out of the cartridge. This drawback is most apparent in cases where the cartridge is not in its seat; in such situations, ink would drip in abundance both in the seat of the cartridge and outside the container.